Automobile wheel-controlling means.



W. E'. MITCHELL & E. E. HENRY.

AUTOMOBILE WHEEL UONTRQLLING MEANS.l

l APPLICATION FILED DEO. 24, 1913.

. p. Patented July 21, 1914.

WIT/458858 ATTORNEYS W. F, MTCHELL n E. HENRY. AUToMomLE WHEEL UONTROLLING MEANS. APPLICATION .FILED DEO. 2li, 1913v matmta my 2E., NMR.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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lELL and EUGENE. i3. HENRY.

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@neem-:ation of Letters Paent.

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ie it knawn that we, ii/Viamax l?. MPEG1-il citizens mi *lie Unil'efl Sintes,` and residents oi Astoria, in the couny of Clnsop and Siate of Siegen, have invente( a new anal improved Ant@ mobile ifi/'licei-Cenizfoliing Means, oi Wliieli glie foilmving is a fullj cleani-1 anii. exact description.

This inven'ien relates to cariages ami wagons anil has particular ieienenee in the running; of such vehicles. v y

Among the objeets of the invention 1s to provisie a Controlling means 01- Wheels sncli as liigli sneed nini-0r vehicle nfl eels. whereby said nlieels may be tileii Wliiie turning a cni've iiei ne purpose of i'eneingilie tendency of siiidding and i0 ininin'iize lie (langer of straining the Wheeis and the nwans im snpnniringg the wheels.Y

More sliei'ilicall'y scaizefli we pi-Ovide nieelianisin in be need in eonjnneion with any well known 0i' 'apprwed "oiin 0i sieeiing mechanism whereby tile sieeiing7 knuckles, when slewingv laiei'aiiy in either direetien,

will cause lie spindles io assume an inlineal pnsitinn thereby Causing tlie wheels in have iin .ns upper sales ilteii in ne iiiieclion inv ni'iicn Ine veli'eie is neinff "nirned.

lie ma@ ine nemiing` in brani; cn simili i-iie 'wheels -Jill een i ienlly in fue iii i me saine {iieel is seqnenlj; be ln-1n; lii pra iectinn mi: lilie .spoke-,S si tien in which the weiglie'of ine nadine boi-ne alien running en siiaigli Cenis The iniegningg nini @their elejeei-s @E ineinvcninn will lieieinatni" lie in ei'e iiulif; ilesiei-ibml and. claimed i i ilinstiaiei in the drawings 'lm ining a naw of his specifi@- iinn in n'hieii like Cinit'ac'eis ei ieioi ce in ililraie esainsi):milling.;` parts in ail iii@ "Jieii's, anfl in niiiQlL-m lfignie l is. Lliagizniniaiie Tepiesenatien in side elevaiion lie iiili lianfl 'geiinn ni the front ei an :niteniiobile equipped with nur inipio'venient; Figi; 2 is a View m" ein? invenion s'l'inning ilieniannei' ni iii@ ing the sies-'vine' lmaiclfzle; ligg. 3 elevatifni of the n'ieclianisrn i Fing. 2; l? i is a 'vertical seeiinn lijf 0n the line #1.4- 0i? Figi'. i.; Wj eieva tien of the freni ai." i in as seen om the nlm 5"-5 O' saine; am el 'vi-an' iniliifaiingg ilting andl l inicie being piesninecl in be f ward the leti.

The several pants of the device may be -1 made of any suitable inateials, and the relative sizes amiL `iopoi'iions, as Well as the 'igeneiai design 0i the mechanism, may be fvaried to consideiable extent Without flelparting frein the spirit the invention hereinafter more fnliy set forth and specifically claiineel.

At 10 we snow a vehicle axle of any suitable character and suppoii'iecl by Wheels 1l journaleei upon the" spindles 12 of steering yknuckles i3. Each sieerin'g knuckle is joui- 'n'aled on a normally vertical in a, sieei`- ing head 14;. These heads normally are forme as paris of 'the usual axle, but in our improvement the heads M are journaled on 'a' iioiizontai axis in any snitabie manneix in bearings i5 the ends of the axle. Winn ont nnnecessai'ily iirnicing' our invenion to 'lle sveciic illustia'tion in the l'fz'uvings we indicaie that each head li is supported by means o a shank i6 Securecl in ille adjacent bearing i5. This constinetien i'elates e pe Gialliv7 in thaiype of inoin vehicles in which the axle l0 is 0i he drop type sev te provifle a proper sealing space foriiie meier ci the veliieie body,

Any suiiaanie means may be einpleyed te eieet the nsnal steer9 of ilie machine, such means being shawn in. this instance as a, ie vel1 i? connected; in each sieeiing knuckie eenf'iing taerefiom substanialiy at a righi angle iio The veliieal of the knnckie and "1s 17 of glie two steeing knuckles enfin. ny a cross bai" i8. Il. rag link .-19 is eni'ineced in one 0i the levers 17. l [i steering; wheel shaft 9:0 acts We;r i0 canse 'the link if) to be ineveil fer Wailly er reiziwaifiiy to canse the steering lknuckles and wheels 'w swing around die axes of the linuekies i3 parallel te each oliei'. Under oidiiiaiy Circumstances fiile knuckles 3.3 always remain vertical and the spindles snbsantially horizonal imfespective of the amount ef swing that may be impari ed te tile spindle (lne ie ilie usual steering; apparatus.

e provide eonneetiens wiiii the steering; heads l: wiieieli iii@ iinilxekies i3 are tilted ont el? 'tl'ie vertieal ,in eiilier direction as steering mechanisms, the veturning to in any usn al.

Alil

tilting of the knuckles to assume an inclined position causing the Wheels to tilt in a cor responding direction.. One practical means which We have used for accomplishing this object includes a rock shaft 2l journaled upon the depressed portion of a drop axle connected in bearings 22 and having connections to the steering head shanks or shaft whereby,l when the rock shaft 2l is rotated through certain angle the shanks and steering heads are like se rotated suf ciently tar to give the desired amount of tilt to the knuckles.

23 indicates a lever connected tothe adjacent shank lo and pivotally connected hy a link 24 to an. arm 25 scoured to the rock shalt 2l adjacent the bearing 22. Said arm 25 and lever 28 are or may be opt substantially the same length and be caused to move parallel to each other by said link 2li.

At any desired place the rock shaft 21 is fitted with a crank 26 through which a hand lcvcr 2T may operate the rock shaft by means of a connecting rod 28. The hand lever 27 may be set in any desired position by .means of quadra-nt 29 and a dog 30, and

under certain conditions such adjustment, may be permanent or left undisturbed fo the reason that when the steering mecha.'- nism is in mid position or the wheels are running parallel to the longitudinal axis oli 'the vehicle, the spindles l2 are substantially horizontal regardless ot' any rotation of the Shanks lo or inclination. of the knuckles 13.

Having thus described our invention, 'we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent :W-

l. ln a device ci' the character set forth, the coinl'iination with a 'vehicle aa'le, steering heads connected thereto, steering knuckies journaled in said heads, and 'Wheels connected to said steering knuckles, of associated with said stceringlaeads to cause rotation thereof around an aan parallel to the axle. A

EZ. In device of the character set forth, 'the combination with an axle, steering heads incassa connected to the axle, knuckles journaled in said heads on normally vertical axes, said knuck es having normally horizontal spindles, and wheels journaled on said spindles, oi means journaled on the axle and having connections with said heads to cause the same to rotate to a certain extent in either direction around an axis parallel to the aXle,`

and means to control the steering of the Wheels through said steering knuckles.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination with an axle having bear; ings at its ends arranged in longitudinal alinement, a pair of steering heads journaled coaxially in said bearings, steering knuckles mounted on normally vertical axes in said heads, Wheels connected to said steering knuckles, means to turn the knuckles in parallelism around their axes, and means connected to said steering;` heads o cause rotation thereof around their common axis independently of the operation of the steering mechanism.

4c. )n a device of the character set forth, the vcombination of a drop axle having coaxially arranged bearings at its ends, a rock shaft j/m'naled along and parallel to the nain portion of the axle, a pai-r of steering heads having coaxially arranged shanks journaled in said bearings, arms and links connecting said shanks and said rock shaft, means to control the rotation and position of the rock shaft, and said steering heads, steer* ing,` knuckles journaled in said heads, Wheels mounted upon 'the steering knuckles, and steering mechanism acting upon said steer ing knuckles and Wheels independently of the head controlling means.

ln' testimony whereof We have signed our v naines to this specification in the presenceof tto subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER F. MITCHELL. EUGENE E. HENRY.

Witnesses: U. C. Bonoizorr,

A. WV. LAWSON. 

